Every Year, This Little Penguin Travels 8,000km to Visit the Man Who Saved His Life!

Back in 2011, retired bricklayer Joao Pereira de Souza found a South American Magellanic penguin covered in oil and dying on the beach. He bathed the creature and nursed it back to health. When the penguin was finally well, de Souza noticed that it doesn’t want to go away and be with other penguins – and that could get him in trouble as keeping wild animals as pets is illegal in Brazil.

de Souza named the penguin Dindim. Eventually, after 11 months of living with him, Dindim disappeared to go back to its home but de Souza was surprised to see it come back each year in the beaches of Brazil – and it is all because of him! Traveling 8,000 kilometers from his home to de Souza’s abode, the penguin acts like his pet – and the old man treats him like his own child.

Photo credit: Bored Panda / University of Rio de Janeiro

Each time they see each other after being miles apart, Dindim would honk with delight and wag its tail like a dog!

The penguin allows de Souza to bathe him, pat him, and feed him with sardines. The cute little creature even allows de Souza to pick him up but would peck anyone who even tries to touch him!

Biology Professor Krajewski believes that the penguin thinks de Souza is part of his family and might even think that the old man is also a penguin but social media users think otherwise as they believe that Dindim is truly aware that de Souza is a person but shows bizarre behavior due to gratitude.